


mixed signals

by ghosthunter



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M, idiot baby squad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-07-18 22:12:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16127798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghosthunter/pseuds/ghosthunter
Summary: He gets totally blindsided by the full force of Andre’s smile and Andre’s arm looping around his waist and Andre leaning into his space while he’s talking. It makes Christian’s heart beat too fast and his face feel too hot, and he’s trying to continue to project an outward sense of calm to everyone about this entire situation - playing in the NHL for the first time, actually being on the roster most nights, Andre touching him a lot - when internally he’s freaking the fuck out.





	mixed signals

**Author's Note:**

  * For [addandsubtract](https://archiveofourown.org/users/addandsubtract/gifts).



> for addandsubtract in the all caps exchange. i hope you enjoy the big mess that i've made for you!
> 
> thanks to molly for the beta on this one. you're a rock star.

Andre flirts with everyone.

He gets away with it because he’s got a big, bright smile, and he does it to literally everyone, so no one takes him seriously. Instead, Ovi wraps him in blankets, the Carlsons invite him over for taco night. He drapes himself over Nicke, or Holtby, and they don’t even flinch. He nuzzles up to Tom, and Tom just continues whatever conversation he’s already in the middle of.

But the thing is, Christian doesn’t expect it to get turned on him. Because he’s not one of the older guys, who Andre’s been hanging all over for the last four years that he’s been on the team, and he’s not Tom, because Tom is stupidly good looking and anyone would want to cuddle up to him, while Christian’s Googling ways to combat the big zit that’s growing right in the middle of his forehead.

He gets totally blindsided by the full force of Andre’s smile and Andre’s arm looping around his waist and Andre leaning into his space while he’s talking. It makes Christian’s heart beat too fast and his face feel too hot, and he’s trying to continue to project an outward sense of calm to everyone about this entire situation - playing in the NHL for the first time, actually being on the roster most nights, Andre touching him a lot - when internally he’s freaking the fuck out.

The stress is definitely contributing to breakouts, at least that’s what Madison tells him, and since Madison has pretty good skin, Christian is inclined to believe it. He can’t actually stop himself from freaking out, even though he downloads some dumb meditation app on his phone and tries to do it every night. It’s not working, and he’s still freaking out about everything on the daily, so he just buys fancier soap for his face and hopes for the best.

The thing is, if Andre were even remotely serious about it, Christian would be in in a heartbeat. Christian is okay at flirting and doesn’t have any problems picking up. He knows he’s cute, but he’s just not on the level some of his teammates are on. Still, he’s got an accent and Americans are into that kind of thing. Easy.

It doesn’t work on Andre, of course, but Christian’s seen Andre pick up and those people are way out of Christian’s league.

Still, is he supposed to… not flirt back when Andre flirts with him? Because Andre’s turning the full force of his smile on Christian, and his hand is lingering on Christian’s lower back, and what’s Christian going to do? Not look up at Andre through his eyelashes and pretend that he’s sweet and shy? He bites his fucking lip as the corners of his mouth turn up into a smile.

It gets him fucking nowhere.

 

“I don’t understand,” Christian says - whines - from where he’s draped on the couch in Jakub’s living room. There’s so much couch and Christian has thrown himself dramatically across the chaise on one end, while Madison is slouched down sort of in the middle. Jakub isn’t even on the couch, sitting on the floor with his shoulders between Madison’s knees.

“All I’m saying is he doesn’t do that to me,” Madison says. “And no offense, but I’m way cuter than you.”

“Fuck off,” Christian says, stretching one leg out and trying to kick Madison. Jakub is the one who bats Christian’s foot out of the way. “He flirts with everyone.”

“Not me,” Madison says.

“We only do dumb on-ice stuff. That’s not flirting,” Jakub says. He’s mostly concentrating on what he’s doing, his face intense and tongue poked between his lips.

“No, it’s not flirting at all when you guys hold hands to go out on the ice,” Christian says.

“We like to hold hands,” Jakub says.

“You’re about to die,” Madison says, right before Jakub starts swearing at the game in Czech. “Told you.”

“Tell me sooner next time,” Jakub yells.

Madison sits up and threads his fingers into Jakub’s hair, tugging gently, then leans down and kisses him on the side of his head. “I’m getting another beer. You guys want?”

“Sure,” they chorus at him, and he swings one leg over Jakub’s head and heads to the kitchen.

“You could just be honest,” Jakub says, getting ready for the next round. “Be like, hey, I think you’re cute and you should kiss me.”

“Yeah okay,” Christian says. “I’m gonna say that to Andre.”

“It worked on me,” Madison says, coming back into the room and offering a beer to Christian.

“You’re both useless,” Christian says, rolling his eyes and taking a drink.

 

Andre keeps flirting with him.

Like, Christian’s going to keep flirting back, but he’s as bad at talking about his feelings as he is about not being stressed out, or remembering to use his stupid fancy face wash instead of just using the soap that he uses for every other part of his body.

Christian goes home with a guy from a bar, one night that they’re out in DC. The next morning, he has several texts from Madison and Jakub (normal) and one from Tom (weird). He ends up going out to get smoothies with Tom, because Tom asks him and Christian has nothing better to do on a day off.

“So like, are you just fucking with Andre?” Tom asks, not looking directly at Christian and stabbing his straw into the dregs of his smoothie.

“What?” Christian asks, genuinely confused. If anything, Andre is fucking with Christian. Andre pushes up on him all the time, flirts with him, then ditches. What’s Christian supposed to do? Let Andre flirt with him endlessly and never get laid again? Unlikely.

“He likes you,” Tom says. “And I thought that you were into him, but last night - I mean, he’s pretty pissed off that you, you know, have been like, leading him on all this time and you went home with someone else.”

“What?” Christian repeats. His life has turned into a meme. He’s having a real galaxy brain moment and he kind of hates it.

“Stop saying what like you’re an idiot or you don’t know what I’m saying,” Tom says. “I know you understand me.”

“No, I don’t,” Christian says. “He flirts with everyone.”

“He doesn’t flirt with everyone like he does with you,” Tom says.

“He literally nuzzles your cheek,” Christian says. “I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me.”

“I’m telling you Andre likes you, and you going home with someone else hurt him really badly,” Tom says. “Because he thought you liked him, too.”

Christian rubs his hands over his face. “No,” he says. “This is ridiculous. I absolutely refuse to accept any of this, this is all stupid. I’m going home.”

“Djoos,” Tom says. “I’m just stepping in because he was upset last night. And he’s one of my best friends, and I hate to see him upset like this. But he does like you.”

“I have to go,” Christian says. He leaves half his smoothie sitting on the table.

 

He lets himself into Jakub’s apartment, which leads to Madison bucking Jakub off the couch and onto the floor. Both of them yell at him, but he ignores them.

“Pick up where you left off later,” he tells them. “Right now we have to talk about me.”

“You have a shitty attitude,” Jakub tells him. “I want to pick up where I left off right now.”

“No,” Christian says. “Put your boner away. Was Andre really upset when I left the bar last night?”

“He was like, sulky and pissy after you left, but I don’t know if it had anything to do with you,” Madison says. He’s stretched out on his back on the couch, his shirt off. Christian can see his dick tenting his shorts and wishes that he hadn’t noticed. Oh well. As soon as he gets the info that he wants he’ll let them get back to business.

“Tom says he was pissed because I left with someone else,” Christian says.

“I mean, Tom would know. Andre and Tom ended up leaving maybe half an hour after you did,” Madison says.

“Fuck me,” Christian says, and turns around and walks back out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

 

Andre’s hair is a mess and his face is creased from his pillowcase when he answers the door. Christian’s a little bit flushed, out of breath, still wearing the clothes he wore to get smoothies with Tom. He wonders if Tom told Andre that he was going to talk to Christian.

“Are you mad at me?” Christian asks him, flat out.

“I don’t have any right to be mad at you,” Andre says. “You’re not my boyfriend.”

“Okay,” Christian says. “Did you want me to be?”

Andre stands there, frozen in his doorway, biting his lip as he looks at Christian. “I don’t know,” he says after a minute. “I thought you liked me, though.”

“I do,” Christian says. “But you also flirt with everyone.”

“Not seriously. Not like I was flirting with you,” Andre says. Christian tries to remember how it was different, if it was different. He remembers Andre’s hands on his hips and his lower back, he remembers Andre tucking his hair back behind his ear. He remembers flirting back.

“I didn’t think you were actually interested in me,” Christian says.

“I was,” Andre says. Christian actually flinches. Andre was. Past tense.

“Oh,” Christian says. There’s a sharp ache in his chest that he thinks maybe is his heart breaking. He’s had Andre and lost him all without even knowing. “I didn’t know.”

“I know that now,” Andre says. “Look, can you go? I’m really tired and I’d like to go back to my nap.”

Christian says, “Okay,” and lets Andre shut the door in his face.

 

Third-wheeling Jakub and Madison now that Andre doesn’t flirt with him at all anymore is even more miserable than third-wheeling Jakub and Madison when Andre was still flirting with him. He doesn’t want to pick up, because what if Andre decides to forgive him? He avoids Tom and Andre like the plague, and since Chandler spends a lot of his time with Tom, that counts him out, too.

Jakub and Madison it is, then. Even if they’re making out instead of watching whatever movie they’ve all picked out on Netflix. Christian is _bored_.

He takes a deep breath and texts Andre.

_come save me from v and mads they’re being gross ___

__He isn’t sure what he expects, honestly. He’s not even sure he actually expects Andre to reply to him. He just has to have hope that Andre understands why what happened happened. And that he understands that Christian didn’t mean to hurt him - that Christian didn’t know Andre was even actually interested._ _

___what r they doin_ _ _

__Christian snaps a photo of them, the light from the TV playing off them. He’s not sure at what point they gave up even pretending to watch the movie, but Madison has Jakub leaned back against the arm of the couch, his hand buried in Jakub’s hair and his tongue in Jakub’s mouth. Christian sends the photo to Andre._ _

___gross_ , Andre sends back._ _

__Then: _that could be us but u playin__ _

__Christian almost throws his phone across the room. But since right now he’s the only rookie on the team who doesn’t have a cracked fucking screen, and there’s money riding on how long that will last, he doesn’t do it._ _

__Instead, he sends, _ok for starters i didn’t know you were serious.__ _

__And then, _for second come over.__ _

__There’s a few minutes before Andre’s next message comes through, and Christian starts to worry that he’s severely overstepped. But then Andre does respond._ _

___ok. Is that v’s_ _ _

___yes_ , Christian sends back._ _

___give me 15_ _ _

__Christian opens Instagram and starts scrolling, because the movie really is that bad. Andre says 15 minutes, but it takes closer to 30 before he texts Christian and tells him to let him in. Christian gets up - Madison and Jakub thought they were being stealthy and left the room nearly 15 minutes before, probably to go suck each other off in the bedroom, even though Christian is _still there_ , thanks guys - and goes and opens the door._ _

__“Thanks for coming to rescue me,” Christian says, and does the thing where he smiles up at Andre and looks through his lashes. Andre smiles back at him._ _

__“Looks like you’re all alone,” Andre says._ _

__“They went to - you know, they went into the bedroom,” Christian says, flushing slightly. “That happens sometimes.”_ _

__“Gross,” Andre says brightly, and Christian steps back so that Andre can come into the apartment. “You wanna watch something else? In case they come back out?”_ _

__“Yeah, they’ll be pissed at me if I leave,” Christian says. “You know, they can leave me out here to go fool around, but if I go home, they’re like, that’s so rude, how dare you.”_ _

__“You really didn’t know I liked you? That I was serious?” Andre asks. Christian feels a little blindsided by that. He wasn’t expecting to have this conversation, and maybe he should have been._ _

__“I really didn’t know,” Christian says. “I thought you were just. Flirting with me the way you flirt with anyone.”_ _

__“But now you know,” Andre says._ _

__“Yes,” Christian says. “And I’m sorry that I… if I’d thought you were serious, I would’ve gone home with you instead.”_ _

__“You still could,” Andre says._ _

__“V and Mads will bitch at me tomorrow,” Christian says._ _

__“Djoos,” Andre says, in his little sing-song way. “I’m just trying to kiss you.”_ _

__“So stop fucking around and do it,” Christian says._ _

__Andre laughs then, leans in and rests his hands on Christian’s hips, bringing his mouth down to brush across Christian’s. Christian tips his face up, reaches up to loop his arms around Andre’s neck. Andre’s a lot taller than the people he normally hooks up with - Christian’s not exactly short, even if he’s short for a hockey player._ _

__They stand together for a few moments, their mouths locked together, before Andre breaks away._ _

__“Do you believe me now?” Andre asks._ _

__“Yes,” Christian says. “But I still think you’re way out of my league.”_ _

__“You’re an idiot,” Andre says. “You’re adorable, and you’re an absolute idiot. Let’s go watch some stupid movie until those two come back.”_ _

__When Madison and Jakub do finally emerge from the bedroom, rumpled and flushed, holding hands, Christian and Andre are curled up together, stretched out on the chaise. The movie that’s on is one all of them have seen a dozen times or more._ _

__They’re making out, one of Andre’s legs thrown over Christian’s, Andre’s fingers tangled in Christian’s hair and Christian’s hand resting on Andre’s side, just under the edge of Andre’s t-shirt._ _

__“It’s rude to make out with someone else on my couch,” Jakub announces, flopping down on the other end._ _

__“Um,” Christian says, disengaging slightly and looking up at them. “It’s also rude to just get up and leave someone alone in your living room because you’re going to have sex, but you did that.”_ _

__“Don’t say things like that in front of company,” Jakub tells him, frowning, and Andre starts laughing, burying his face in Christian’s hair._ _

__“Come on,” Christian says, pushing at Andre. “Let’s go back to either your place or mine.”_ _

__Madison fucking wolf-whistles at them as they slip on their shoes to leave. Christian flips him off with his free hand, keeping Andre’s hand in his other as they walk out the door._ _


End file.
